Friday, December 18, 2015

In 1942, when he was
only 5 years old George Takeiand his family were evicted from their home in
Los Angeles at gunpoint by the U.S. government and relocated temporarily to a
horse stable at Santa Anita racetrack. The
Takei’s were eventually incarcerated at an internment camp in Arkansas, where
his parents took a principled stand against an infamous questionnaire devised
to determine the loyalties of Japanese Americans. Because of their answer the Takei’s and other
internees were deemed “disloyal” and were relocated to a high-security camp in
California. When they were at last
permitted to return home George’s family lived on skid row, forced to rebuild
their lives from nothing. It is this story that served for the inspiration of
the new Broadway musical Allegiance which follows the Kimura family as they
fight between duty and defiance, custom and change, family bonds and forbidden
loves. The play features George Takei,
Tony Award winner Lea Salonga, and actor-singer-songwriter Telly Leung and
George joins me now in studio to talk all about the play and the internment of
Japanese Americans during World War II. You can also follow George on twitter & facebook.

In her latest novel The Earth Breaks in Colors author Patti Davis tells the story of two 11 year-old girls who live in Southern California, one black and the other white, who find refuge from the undercurrent of secrets in their home lives in the quiet corner of innocent friendship. However an earthquake and a racially fueled incident exposes the fissures that sit beneath the surface of friendships and families the girls are forced to search for their families and understanding among the rubble of their homes. The book is a powerful story of race and redemption and Patti joins me today to talk all about it. You can also follow Patti on twitter & facebook.

Listen to The Michelangelo Signorile Show weekdays live from 3-6 pm ET on SiriusXM Progress 127 and on the SiriusXM iPhone, Blackberry and Android apps. Not a subscriber? Not a problem! Listen online any time with a free thirty-day pass or, if you have an if you have an iPhone or Blackberry, go to the app store and download SiriusXM for free, for a 7-day trial, and listen on your phone.

The influence of China
can be felt around the world, yet it is in the French wine region of Bordeaux
that it is probably the least expected, but according to Wine Spectator contributing Editor Suzanne Mustacich in her new book Thirsty Dragon: China’s Lust for Bordeaux and the Threat to the World’s Best Wines it is in this famous region that the destinies of
the old wine merchants and the rising entrepreneurs of China have become
intertwined. Suzanne joins me today to
talk all about China’s quest to become a global wine power and Bordeaux’s
attempt to master the thirsty dragon it helped create. You can also follow Suzanne on twitter & facebook.

Listen to The Michelangelo Signorile Show weekdays live from 3-6 pm ET on SiriusXM Progress 127 and on the SiriusXM iPhone, Blackberry and Android apps. Not a subscriber? Not a problem! Listen online any time with a free thirty-day pass or, if you have an if you have an iPhone or Blackberry, go to the app store and download SiriusXM for free, for a 7-day trial, and listen on your phone.

The Michelangelo Signorile Show airs across the U.S. and Canada weekdays from 3-6 p.m. EST on SiriusXM Progress 127, and on the iPhone via the Sirius XM iPhone app. Listen online at any time by getting a free three-day pass and tuning to Progress 127. Learn more about my show and Progress. For interview ideas and show topics, please e-mail producer Sean Bertollo.

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